


China Doll

by Megatraven (orphan_account)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Marinette, F/M, Gen, Low-key Djwifi, discontinued
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-14 02:51:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5726968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Megatraven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When confessing her feelings doesn’t go as planned, Marinette has to fight off akumatization. Her efforts are thwarted by a series of unfortunate incidents that may just push her over the edge.</p><p>THIS FIC IS DISCONTINUED</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Apprehensive Hope

**Author's Note:**

> After putting it off for so long, Chapter 1 is finally here! There's not much to it other than really setting up for the rest of the story, so sorry about that. I promise the next chapter will be done sooner and will be more interesting!

Winds whipped around the city, howling insults and warnings to a world of people that didn’t stop to listen. They bombarded everyone with gusts of fury, but if one had taken a moment to observe it, they would have seen the way the streams of air fought against one girl in particular. If it had been anyone else, their efforts might have been worthwhile. But she wasn’t just anybody. She was the proud daughter of a baker, the class president, the heroine of Paris, and, perhaps most importantly, she was a girl with determination. And with as much determination as she possessed, there’s no stopping her from completing her mission.

Fighting through the gales, Marinette soon arrived at school, and was surprised to find it rather empty. She had wanted to get there early, but she hadn’t planned on getting there before her friends did. As much as she loved alone time, time to think was not something she wanted or needed today. After all, it was the day she had chosen for her confession, to finally get her not-so-secret crush out in the open. It was lucky for Marinette, though, that her frost-nipped face would have time to return to its normal shade. Even the short walk from the bakery to the school would redden faces when it was the middle of winter.

As she walked through the mostly empty halls, Marinette opted to wait by her locker for the others. She deposited her books and her insulated jacket, shutting the locker door before she slid down until sitting. People from other classes and grades passed by her, not paying any mind to the girl so obviously brooding. A small frown tugged at her lips, and her brows were pinched together as a series of emotions played across her face. 

In a barely audible voice, she whispered her insecurities, “What if he doesn’t like me because my hair is out of place? What if it’s the wrong color? No, no, don’t be ridiculous, Marinette! He’s not that shallow… maybe he’ll say no because of how clumsy I am, or that time when he didn’t get a croissant on parents day, or maybe- ow!” Marinette automatically went to rub her hand, which had apparently been pinched by her Kwami. The red creature gave Marinette a meaningful look from her bag, and was rewarded with a smile.

Tikki, of course, knew how anxious her friend was, so Marinette was thankful when the Kwami managed to keep her from delving further into her doubts. She knew that even if Adrien didn’t feel the same way, she’d feel better in the long run. He’d never refuse her and be cruel about it, so there was no reason to be worried. She could handle this. Her, Nino, and Alya had been working on preparations for a while, namely, increasing Marinette’s self-confidence. Even with all the training, though, Marinette couldn’t get rid of her stutter completely. She’d tried talking to Adrien yesterday, and although her speech was much improved upon, her sentences still came out jumbled from time to time. He had never insulted her for it, nor had he ever said one rude thing to, well, anyone. Not even Chloe. So even if wearing her heart on her sleeve backfired, she was sure he’d let her down gently. Now all there was left to do was for Marinette to wait for her support system and her person of interest to come.

And wait she did, for about another twenty two minutes. Nino showed up first, sporting his regular outfit. There was something different about him today that she couldn’t quite place, but it showed in the way he walked and the way he encouraged Mari. His eyes shimmered and were filled with hope, and for a moment she wondered if he had his own confession to make that day. She put that thought on the back burner when Alya arrived, choosing not to pay attention to Nino's reddening cheeks. They made idle chit chat to make their time pass, but it eventually dissolved into a pep talk for Marinette. They were all filled to the brim with nervous energy, and it increased visibly when Adrien arrived.

Adrien greeted each classmate he passed by with a wave of his hand or a polite nod, but his eyes were focused on his group of friends. It took little effort to weave his way through the growing crowd, and he soon found himself being welcomed warmly by the group. They didn’t always meet up as a group in the morning, but it was fun to hang out with people who cared about each other so much. 

While they talked about various subjects, Adrien bumped Nino’s shoulder with his own. Him and his friend had been talking about it for a while, and Nino told Adrien just the night before that he was going to ask Alya out. It was the perfect plan to get both of the couples alone with each other, not that Adrien or Alya knew the intentions behind Marinette and Nino.

Shooting a grin to Adrien, Nino tapped Alya’s arm. “Hey, can I talk to you in private real quick?” Marinette watched the exchange, her nerves creeping up again. Alya nodded, giving Marienette and reassuring squeeze of the arm, and then her and Nino left Adrien and Marinette standing together awkwardly. Marinette stared after them, only breaking from her gaze when Adrien cleared his throat.

“So, Marinette, are you prepared for the physics test tomorrow?” he asked casually, attempting to make some kind of conversation now that it was just them. He had gained some knowledge of her since their group had begun to hang out, and one thing he knew was that physics wasn’t her strongest subject. He waited politely for an answer, but was honestly unsure if one would ever come. The tinge of pink on her cheeks didn’t escape his notice, but all the eyes glancing over at the two sure did.

A bit flustered, Marinette took a deep breath and answered, “Well, um, I’ve been studying at least an hour every night, so I think I’ll do okay.” She looked him in the eye, quickly glancing away while she steeled herself for what she would say next. Adrien stayed silent while she did this, seeing on her face that she had something else to tell him. Taking another deep breath and stepping back to look at him, she asked, “Adrien, c-can I tell you something?” Confused but curious, Adrien nodded and gave Marinette his full attention. He saw a few emotions run over her face until she settled on being determined. That was another thing he noticed about her; she had a look of determination rivaled by no one else, save for probably Ladybug herself.

“W-well I’ve wanting to tell this you for... That is, I've been wanting to tell you this for a while, so here it goes,” she began, steeling herself. And, before she could back down, she released her confession in one breath, “I really, really like you and it’s been killing me being unable to tell you but now I have so-”

Marinette’s words were cut off both by the fact she knew she had started rambling, as well as the fact Adrien had just placed his has - his hand! - on her shoulder. She took a shaky breath this time, her bravado diminishing with each passing second. Even with her shrinking courage, she stared into Adrien’s eyes, her gaze unwavering. She held her breath, then, as her eyes caught his impossibly gentle gaze which conveyed the words he had yet to speak.

“I’m really sorry, Marinette. I just don’t feel the same way about you,” he said, his smile and voice both tinged with sadness. He liked Marinette, yes, liked her a lot. But not in that way. She was a great friend, and he enjoyed getting to know her better; he'd certainly never want to hurt her! He had already begun to suspect Marinette felt differently about him than she did others; when he first met her, he thought she was scared of him. As time passed, he thought she was maybe just intimidated, but, as it became abundantly clear when they had started to become real friends, her emotions were leaning towards something more positive and warm. So much for that, because he could practically see the girl’s heart shatter in the depths of her eyes. Removing his hand from her shoulder, he continued, “I’d like it if we could still be friends, though. Is… that alright?”

Marinette’s mind had pretty much stopped functioning properly. The temperature of her cheeks was growing rapidly, Adrien was still talking to her, and she didn’t even know what she could say to him. Her body trembled slightly, and as her face grew hot, her eyes also began to burn. Forcing a small, understanding smile onto her face, she wrapped her arms around herself and managed to squeak out, “Y-yeah, I’d, um, like that a lot. Pl-please excuse me!” She spun on her heels and bolted away, leaving Adrien with no opportunity to reply.

With a semi-shocked expression on his face, Adrien finally glanced around him and realized that people had been watching their encounter. When they saw him looking, they hurriedly looked away, trying. and failing, to act as if they hadn’t just witnessed their class president break. He debated whether he should go after her or not, ultimately deciding she’d probably run somewhere he couldn’t follow. She wasn’t stupid, after all. So, instead, he walked in the direction Nino and Alya had gone, hoping he’d find the reporter and she could handle the situation better.

Walking in the direction he did, Adrien didn’t notice a certain golden-haired peer walking quickly in the opposite direction. The direction of a tear-stained face trying to gather up her broken pieces before the start of class.


	2. Running Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe pays Marinette a visit. And so does somebody else.
> 
> Edit: Fixed HM's words

It didn’t take long to find the duo, but when Adrien did, he paused for a moment. They both looked extremely happy and were laughing over some unknown topic. What stood out, though, wasn’t their words or their posture. It was how their fingers intertwined, Alya’s squeezing Nino’s. It was how they exuded an atmosphere of joy and togetherness, one that made the air around Adrien seem cold and lonely. 

He almost turned away, not wanting to interrupt their time together, but he couldn’t. Somebody needed to talk to Mari, to see if she was alright and would be okay after his rejection. Steeling himself for what Alya would say, he stepped forward and spoke, “Nino! Alya! Sorry for interrupting but-”

“Adrien? Where’s Marinette?” Alya asked him, ironically stopping him from telling her the answer she sought. She pulled her hands from Nino’s and placed one on her hip. The other pointed at him in an accusatory fashion. “What’d you say to her!?”

“N-nothing! I just told her I didn’t feel the same! And that I’d still like to be friends,” he said hastily, hoping that would satisfy the blogger. 

After an intense stare-down that lasted about five seconds, Alya lowered her finger and sighed, using the hand to pinch the bridge of her nose instead. She paced for a moment, obviously thinking of what to do. She shared her thoughts out loud, too lost in her thought process to even notice. “On the one hand, I can go comfort her, offer her my support. On the other, I can give her some time alone, which she probably needs. But! What if she doesn’t want to be alone? I should be there if she needs me! Then again, if she really does want to be alone, me showing up will just make it worse…” While she talked and talked, Adrien grew impatient. He just wanted to know if Marinette was okay. Luckily for him, Alya soon came to a conclusion, made obvious by the way she now chose to carry herself. “I’ll wait outside wherever she is and let her know I’m there! That way she won’t have to see me, and she’ll still have my support! Adrien! Where is she?” 

Leading the duo back to where they had met earlier, he recounted exactly what happened to him and Marinette. Nino groaned a little, and shook his head. Alya sighed again, and started in the direction Marinette had gone, ready to knock on every door she came across. That left Adrien and Nino alone, both watching Alya long after she was no longer in sight. Eventually, Nino clapped Adrien on the back and, with a sympathetic look, turned to head to class.

Adrien almost followed him; he didn’t want to be late, and class started in just a couple of minutes. But he wanted to wait a little longer, regardless of the emptying hall. Leaning against the locker, he waited for some sign, for some news, of Marinette.

_

Within the bathroom Marinette had fled to, there were currently two sources of running water: the sink she leaned over and her eyes. Tears slid down her face, silent but present all the same. Her hand was wrapped tightly around a lump of toilet paper, which had thus far been used to dab at her eyes. With a sniff, she moved to dab at them again, pausing only when she heard the door squeak.

“Alya, I love you, you know I do, but I just want to be alone,” she said, quickly dabbing at her eyes before turning to look at her friend. Except it wasn’t her friend. No, it was the one person who was quite the opposite of her friend. She instantly put her guard up, as much as she could, anyways. Sniffing once more, she said, “What’re you doing in here, Chloe? I thought public bathrooms weren’t good enough to be graced by your presence?” 

Laughing, Chloe walked over and stood in front of the large mirror. “I don’t mind them all the time, not when I get to see me in the mirrors. I don’t know why you’d stop in, though; who would want to see such a sorry image?” Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a stick of lip gloss and began to apply it, waiting for some kind of response.

Chloe didn’t get one though; Marinette really didn’t have it in her to argue with such an infuriating person. Instead, she scowled and returned to her own business, stepping away from Chloe as far as she could. The bathroom stayed silent for a few minutes, but the silence was broken when Chloe realized Marinette wouldn’t be responding.

“Not going to say anything? Really? Well, if you insist, I guess I’ll just have to do the talking. I saw what happened, you know. I don’t know why you’re crying so hard; it’s not like you ever had a sliver of a chance that he’d say yes. You had to have know that, Marinette. Really, I thought you were smarter than that,” Chloe mused, giving a cruel chuckle at the end. “I can’t believe we have somebody so weak and incompetent as our class president. You should really leave these things to people that don’t break like a toothpick.” 

At this, Marinette couldn’t hold herself back. “Listen, Chloe, I won the title fair and square. Unlike you, who tried to cheat. And... there’s nothing wrong with having hope.” Even as she said it, she could hear how frail her words sounded. And if what Chloe had said didn’t make Marinette cry more, hearing her own frailty did. The water streamed down much quicker than before, and she began to shake. Tremors traveled through her as she tried to hold back the flood of water threatening to break the dam she’d built, but at the blonde’s next words, the strength to do so left her.

“You won because you convinced our class that you could bring something new and better to the table. But look at where it’s gotten you! Not a single soul reached out to help you, to stop you. It’s because you’re nothing and they know it. I know it. And now, maybe you’ll finally know it too. Wake up, Marinette. Do you really think our classmates would care for a person so desperate for something that could never happen?” With a mean flip of her hair, Chloe hummed proudly and walked out of the restroom, kicking the door open as much as she could so that her hands wouldn’t have to touch it.

Focused on her make-up and how well her plan had gone, she never saw the blackened butterfly glide its way through the opening. Who she did eventually see, though, was the best friend of Marinette. Deciding to ‘help’ the blogger find her friend, Chloe called out, “Hey, you’d better tell Marinette to watch out! She walked right into me to get into the locker room, and she didn’t even stop to apologize! Tell her I’ll be expecting an apology later!” Exchanging a glare with Alya, Chloe sauntered away, a spring in her step that did not bode well for the City of Light.

Not taking even a minute to stop and think about if Chloe was lying or not, Alya sprinted away to the girl’s locker room. Moving as quick as her legs could carry her, she had no idea that they carried her away from Marinette.

Marinette. Sobbing, alone, broken. Except that isn’t entirely true. Tikki is there, and although she remains hidden away in Marinette’s bag, she exudes comfort. It’s not enough to bring Mari back, though; the designer was cut too deep this time, and nothing could help her right now. 

Torn down, in pain, beyond help. Stationary enough that the automatic lights turn off, but distraught enough to obtain her own light. A near-soundless fluttering of wings is drowned out by the sound she’s making, only realizing that the butterfly is there when it’s far too late. It touches down on her earrings, a gasp from Marinette the only thing that shows her recognition. The akuma melds into the earrings, and a purple glow begins to emanate from an angular butterfly-shape hovering over her face. Hawk Moth’s symbol, she thought to herself. 

Even as Marinette tries to put barriers up around her mind, the voice speaking through the akuma blasts holes in her walls. _Ah, such a poor, crushed child. It isn’t right that someone so strong should be broken so easily. You must want to take rev-_

“No. No. I don’t want revenge, I don’t want to hurt people,” she snapped, stifling the ache in her chest. At her sudden words, her Kwami pops out from the bag, and barely manages to hold back her own gasp. Surely gasping just then would give away Marinette’s secret, but the Kwami has lived for generations, and she knows when to hold her tongue. Marinette’s hand moved to the kwami, motioning her out, but Marinette’s eyes stay glued ahead of her.

 _But they hurt you. Your heart was on your sleeve, and they tore it off. Accept my help,_ the voice whispered to her. It chilled her to the bone, but she knew it wasn’t completely wrong. Maybe Adrien hadn’t done that, but Chloe? She hadn’t even taken her ti-

“Stop it! Stop making me think that way. I don’t want to hurt anybody, not even Chloe!” Frustrated and wanting to keep Tikki out of harm’s way, Marinette stood. She clenched her fists and left the bathroom, thankful that the halls were empty just like they were when she arrived that day. Her body moved her forward, but the motions felt sluggish, as if she were bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. And truthfully, that was exactly what she was doing. Grimacing at her slow pace, Marinette chose to focus her energy on moving quicker, rather than blocking out the voice. It didn’t seem to be working anyways, and she didn’t want to waste her efforts.  
She moved a bit quicker, straight down the hall that would allow an escape, that would provide her an exit from the confines of the schoolhouse. When she passed the intersection she had originally come from, she didn’t turn to look; she couldn’t risk seeing someone, let alone risk them seeing her in her current state. With her mind set on getting away from people, she powered through the weights that held her down and left the building, paying no mind to the water building up in her eyes.

She hadn’t noticed Adrien, who saw her pass by. Adrien, who began to walk after her almost immediately. Because he saw something on her face, something he’s seen too many times. The only issue being she had appeared so suddenly, he didn’t register it until she was almost out of sight. There’s always the possibility he could be wrong, but with the red on her face, he wasn’t going to risk anything. 

Turning the corner didn’t provide him with any answers, unfortunately; she was already out the door. He hurried out, hoping he’d be able to spot where she had gone, but there was no sign she had even walked away. Not wanting to go back to class and not wanting to give up on Marinette, Adrien took out his phone and dialed Alya’s number.

The phone rang three times before he heard her answer his call. “Hey, listen, Alya, I just saw Marinette run out of here. I don’t know where she was, but I saw Chloe not long before, and she seemed… pleased with herself.”

It took a moment for the blogger to respond, and Adrien could hear her heavy breathing when she spoke. It struck Adrien that she must have never found Marinette, but had been running around looking for her. “Chloe…? That little snake! She must have done something, I can’t believe I ran where she told me to! Where’d you see Mari go!?”

Running his hand through his hair, Adrien looked around once more before answering, “That’s just it! I ran after her, and I know she left the school, but she’s just… gone. I have no idea where she went.”


	3. No Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya makes it her and Adrien's mission to find Marinette!
> 
> A/N: OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN OVER 4 MONTHS SINCE I UPDATED THIS. I guess I lost motivation for awhile due to personal issues. I'll try very hard to keep personal things from messing up my works in the future! :>

Alya had gone silent for a short minute, but her voice quickly grew so loud that Adrien had to hold his phone away from his ear. She practically screamed as she asked, “What? What do you _mean_ she’s gone? Boy, where even are you?” He gave her his location and after a quick groan of frustration, Alya had hung up. It took her about two more minutes to appear, and although she was out of breathe, she didn’t hesitate to start pulling Adrien with her.

“Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re going to go to the park and look for her there. If that doesn’t check out, then we’ll look around the tower, the Trocadéro, and any fabric and craft store on the way to her house. We don’t want to worry her parents if she’s in one of the other locations, and we’ll want Nino with us when we go over,” she instructed, hurling the words out in one large spiel. Taking several deep breathes, she tugged on Adrien’s hand, let go, and began to sprint. He ran right after her, not needing any other indication that he should follow.

The two searched and searched for Marinette, missing the entirety of their school day and lunch break. There had been no signs of her at any of the locations they’d picked out, and now her phone went straight to voicemail whenever Alya would call it. There was always the chance her phone had just died, since Marinette was a flustered and forgetful girl from time to time. Still, the chances of it being a dead battery did little to console them. With nowhere else to look in mind, Alya shook her head and went to call Nino.

Adrien let Alya handle this while he checked his own phone; surely if Marinette had been akumatized, there’d be something on the news! He waited anxiously for the search page to load, both relieved and distressed when nothing on akumas came up. He glanced over at Alya, and saw she was distracted by her conversation with Nino. taking this as an opportunity, he stepped aside and took a look into his bag to visit his Kwami. Plagg had been quiet the entire time, Adrien noted, which was quite odd for the Kwami that complained consistently throughout the day. With one more glance to ensure Alya was occupied, he whispered, “Plagg, is there anyway you can send a message to Ladybug’s Kwami? Like, without me transforming?”

Getting no reply from the black cat, Adrien reached down and nudged him, surprised to feel his friend trembling and curled up. He was concerned, of course, but what could he do? Alya wouldn’t let Adrien slip away, not until they exhausted their list of places Marinette might be. Under his breath, he said, “Plagg, please be okay, this’ll be over soon and I can help you then.” He undid a small tin he kept with him at all times, and handed the cat a piece of the cheese that lay inside. Unfortunately, something was definitely wrong, because the cheese didn’t even get a response from his Kwami. It would be an understatement to say that Adrien was only concerned now, but he couldn’t even do anything about it because Alya had just finished her phone call.

Walking back over to her, Adrien waited for her to tell him what’s up, and judging by the look on her face, he’d guess nothing good. Her hands are clenched in tight fists, her brows are pinched together, and she’s got a scowl that could scare an akuma straight. He almost flinched when she turned her gaze to him, despite knowing it wasn’t him making her frustrated.

“Nino said Marinette never went to class, and he’ll meet us at the bakery in ten minutes,” she said, her face growing softer and filled with concern once again. “Adrien, I don’t know what I’ll do if she’s not there. She… this has _never_ happened before, Adrien, and we’ve been best friends for years! She doesn’t run from anything!” Her hands flew up in the air on ‘anything’ before crossing over her chest, but Adrien didn’t really pay much attention to that. Instead, he thought about Alya’s words and compared them to what he knew of Marinette. He knew she was brave and daring, thinking back to all the times she stood up to Chloe and the Evillustrator. How she had managed to avoid the wrath of the Gamer long enough for him to arrive as Chat Noir, triumphed in the class election, and ran after Mylene during the Horrificator incident. Even though she acted odd around him from time to time, she was definitely not the kind of person to run from a situation.

The truth of Alya’s words spurred him into action, grabbing her wrist and tugging her in the direction of the bakery. “Come on, we’ve got to stay positive. Mari _has_ to be home!” His determination grew with each step he took, and for better or for worse, he became certain that Marinette was home. She had to be.

It didn’t take very long for them to get there, and when they arrived, Alya flung herself into Nino’s arms. He must have expected her to do that, because he didn’t fall over and he caught her easily. With whispered comforts and a squeeze, he let her go. Not for long, though, because his hand found hers afterwards. All three of them looked at each other, and with a silent understanding, they all went into the bakery.

A bell chimed overhead, signaling their entrance, and Adrien couldn’t help but wonder if it had rang for Marinette earlier. Sure, there was another entrance to the bakery, but that didn’t stop his mind from hoping she’d come in through the front door. After all, stepping into the bakery was like stepping into the warm embrace of those you cared about. He shook his head a bit, hoping to clear it as him and his friends walked to the counter.

Marinette’s mother- Sabine, if he remembered correctly- manned the register, and she gave the trio a bright smile. That was promising, or so he hoped.

Alya took the lead, and with a somewhat forced smile, she said, “Hey, Sabine! We were wondering if Mari wanted to hang out today?” Her voice exuded happiness, but one look at the tense teen would show how she was faking it.

Sabine clapped her hands together, and her happy smile turned a bit sad. “Sorry, kids, but I don’t think she’ll be up to hanging out today.” She looked around before leaning in, her voice quieting when she continued, “When she came home earlier, she didn’t even want to see us. She looked really upset and kept talking to herself, so we’ve decided to just let her be alone for today.”

Hearing Sabine’s words, the little group sighed out in relief. Their friend was safe, and Adrien was glad that she hadn’t been akumatized. If she’d been turned evil because of him, he would no longer see himself fit to be called a hero. He’d already gotten one person turned in the past, and he’d really like to avoid doing that again. Hearing that she was alright also filled him with an odd sense of pride for his friend; she was strong enough to not get overpowered by Hawk Moth. And she was great enough to not let it be over a rejection. She accepted no even if it hurt, and he really appreciated that.

Happy enough with how things turned out, he started to turn and exit before Alya spoke up again. “Do you think you could ask if she’ll see us? Or at least me?”

With a small nod, Sabine walked back into the kitchen before calling up, “Marinette! Dear, your friends are here! Alya wants to know if she can come up and see you!” Adrien, Alya, and Nino waited to hear Marinette’s reply, but only heard a few thumps coming from upstairs. A couple moments later, her mother returned and shook her head in dismay. “Sorry, she still doesn’t sound like she wants company. She’ll be at school tomorrow, though, alright?”

“Yeah, that’s ok. Thanks a lot, Sabine!” Alya said sweetly. She gave the older woman a half-hug over the counter and turned on her heel, walking out of the bakery with Nino and Adrien in tow. It was obvious how unhappy they were the further they got from the bakery, but relief was still clear in all of their postures and faces.

“Well, dudes, at least she was home, yeah? Dunno what the ‘talking to herself’ bit was really about, but I’m happy she’s home and safe,” Nino said, adjusting his hat with his free hand.

“Yeah, I’m glad she’s safe too. But damn, you’d think the girl could give a sister a call! I was worried sick!” Alya said, sighing. “I won’t mention it to her though- girl’s really emotional and today was rough on her. No need to bring her down even more.” When she realized what she was saying, she glanced over at Adrien. “Sorry, Adrien, but it’s true.”

“I… I know. You guys don’t think… she won’t hate me, will she? I still really want to be friends with her, you know?” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he’d acquired in order to keep photographers from getting angry at any other habits he’d had when he was younger. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if it was something other people noticed or not, because if they did, that was kind of embarrassing. He would need to look into tha-

His tangent was interrupted by Alya placing her hand on his shoulder. “Look, Adrien, I gotta be honest with you. It’ll probably take Mari some time to recover. Give her her space without being distant. When she’s ready- and trust me, she will be ready eventually- you guys will be great friends. I know she wouldn’t want to cut you out of her life over what happened. You’re too important to her.” With a firm squeeze of his shoulder, she started walking away, hand still intertwined with Nino’s.

Nino gave Adrien a small wave and an encouraging smile before walking off with Alya.

Adrien looked back at the bakery, but knew he couldn’t do anything about Marinette right now. He knew he should listen to Alya, she _was_ Marinette’s best friend, after all. He left after watching the building for a couple more minutes, heading home to face possible repercussions from his actions and to care for his Kwami. He hoped Plagg would be better when he got to his house, otherwise he wouldn't know what to do.

* * *

When her mother had called up to her, Marinette panicked. She loved her friends, she really did, even if one of them had broken her heart. She was about to respond, tell her mother that she didn’t want to see anyone, when his voice came up again.

_Do they really think you wish to see them after after your heart was ripped to shreds? I can make su-_ Hawk Moth whispered to her. Each time he talked, Marinette grew more fearful. Each time he talked, more of her room got thrown around to help drown his voice out.

Under her breathe, she said, “No. No, no, no, _stop it_ , I’m not going to accept your stupid deal! I don’t want my friends to get hurt!” As she spoke, she flung her fist into her computer chair and sent it flying into the floor. Next came her manikin, after which she started to stomp around. She didn’t want to _break_ anything, and she didn’t have much left to push around.

She heard shuffling downstairs, which made her feel bad. She knew her parents were incredibly worried, and she could guess her friends were too. But she couldn’t risk seeing them. Couldn’t risk them seeing Hawk Moth trying to take over her mind and body. What would they think of her then? They’d think she was weak for not resisting enough, and they would tell her that. Adrien would tell her he could never love somebody who succumbs to an akuma, and Alya would tell her that she can’t have a best friend so pitiful. Nino would stare at her in silent disappointment. Her parents would ground her until she got the situation under control. They would all be so, so disappointed in her and would never want to see her again, and-

Marinette’s head thumped against her desk. Taking a shuddering breath, she hit her head a few more times. Each time Hawk Moth talked to her, her doubts and troubles would swirl around her in attempts to coax her into his control. But each time, she brought herself out of it. She knew that it was the effect of the akuma making her think those things. From all the times it’d already happened, she was sure her forehead now had a bright red mark that wouldn’t be going away for a few hours at least.

Groaning and not wanting to deal with the villain anymore that night, she walked up the stairs to her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillows, he tried again. But she wouldn’t have it this time, and instead lost herself in her thoughts. She hoped Tikki was alright. And Chat Noir. Chat Noir. She hadn’t even thought about contacting him, or asking Tikki to do so. Really, she hadn’t thought about much other than getting away from people. She sighed and rolled over in a clear attempt to clear her mind of worry. Chat Noir could take care of himself, and Tikki was smart enough to be okay. Content with thinking that, Marinette soon drifted into a fitful sleep plagued with nightmares, tainted butterflies, and a deceptively smooth voice.

That night, nobody saw any trace of Ladybug or Chat Noir.


	4. Discontinued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry

Um hey! Megatraven here!

So I have lost absolutely all inspiration for this fic. I've tried to write more for it, but I didn't write my ideas for it down, and I can't remember them. I also can't bear to read back through it so I can understand all my plot devices because it's old and I just. Don't like it anymore. I'm really sorry guys. I might try again in the future, but I'll only do so if I can write chapters in advance.

Again, I'm sorry! Thanks for reading and sticking by this fic!


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